Library Wars
by Alyssa86InMN
Summary: The library in the small town of Hawthorne needs to grow, so the mayor hires a new librarian, Kate Beckett, to help the current librarian, Rick Castle, as he transitions his library to a bigger space. What Kate soon discovers is moving to a small town and working with a man like Rick Castle is more work than she thought. Will the pair work together or will there be a library war?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been working on this one for awhile and while I still have a ways to go before it is done (and even a 4-week medical leave didn't get me writing as much as I had hoped), I wanted to start posting it. I hope to update every week or so. This was inspired by stories I've heard from my own job at a library.**

Balancing a glazed French cruller and a cup of café au lait on top of a stack of books while trying to unlock and disarm the back door of the building was proving to be more challenging than Richard Castle had envisioned. He was going to get an earful from Mrs. Lancaster if he needed to go back to the Scarlet Latte for a new coffee; she had only been nagging him about getting a book bag, that her little coffee shop happened to sell, for the last six months. After successfully gaining access to the building, Rick weaved his way through the book stacks to the staff workroom tucked into the northwest corner of Hawthorne's only library.

Flicking on the lights to his office, Rick finally laid the books on his antique desk so he could enjoy his delicious, yet not very nutritious breakfast. While his computer booted up for the day, Rick swiveled back and forth in his office chair as he devoured the doughnut. The building wasn't due to open for another hour, so Rick took the time to enjoy the quiet before his employees arrived, followed by the regular library patrons of Hawthorne. Being a former Manhattanite living in a small town was a big adjustment for him and his then seven-year-old daughter. Everyone and everything in New York moved at the speed of a jackrabbit with a caffeine addiction while in Hawthorne you were lucky to get your mail before noon because the postal workers, Harriet, Pete and Ollie, stopped to chat with everyone they encountered.

Nearly seven years of being the head librarian at the small town library, Rick had grown to accept the sloth-like pace that ran the town. He just wished his computer didn't follow the same philosophy. When his desktop screen finally loaded, Rick checked his inbox for any emails he may have received since he was gone over the weekend. An email from the mayor caught his attention immediately.

 _Rick,_

 _As I have discussed with you previously the expansion we have planned for the Hawthorne Library is set to begin in the next week. I have mentioned that the city council was considering hiring another head librarian to help with the transition and I'm pleased to say that they have unanimously agreed to bring another librarian to the team. I have already interviewed a few excellent candidates and I believe I have found the perfect co-head-librarian to make the transition to the newer and larger library as seamless as possible. I hope you will agree with my selection and welcome her to our little town of Hawthorne, as she, just like you, is from the city. Her name is Katherine Beckett and she will be here on Wednesday, so I hope you will help us make her feel at home._

 _Mayor Robert Weldon_

"Seriously, Bob? Thanks for the advanced notice," Rick mumbled to himself. "Not only is she vying for my job, I have no idea if I'll even like her."

"Talking to yourself again, Boss?"

Rick spun around in his chair by the unexpected voice. His widened eyes warming with recognition as he smiled at his most loyal employee, Wilhelmina Bates, whose eccentricities and affinity for brightly colored clothing reminded him of his mother and as such was often Rick's advisor. "I'm disappointed in you, Willie. It's 20 minutes before you are scheduled to be here. I've never seen you so late before!"

Willie smirked and gave him a pointed glare over her bifocals. "So who are you not sure you'll like?"

"The mayor hired a second head librarian to help us transition into the new building. I would have preferred to have met her before she was actually hired."

"She? This isn't going to turn into another 'Loreen the children's librarian' situation, is it?" Willie crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the doorway.

"I'll have you know the 'Loreen the children's librarian' situation was not really my fault. Not all women can handle being turned down by Hawthorne's Sexiest Head Librarian."

Willie snorted out a laugh, pushed herself upright and called out while exiting Rick's office, "All right, Boss, you can keep thinking that. I'll just go work on the schedule for the day."

* * *

Stacking the last box of her belongings in the back of a rented U-Haul trailer left Kate Beckett feeling like her heart was weighed down. She was going to miss New York City, the only home she had ever known, but when life threw her a curve ball she decided to quit the game, or at least play the game in a different city. Taking one last look at the tall building that held her former apartment, she tried to remain stoic and threatened any tears that wished to escape from her eyes.

Leaving Manhattan was for the best. There weren't any bad memories in the town of Hawthorne, in fact there weren't any memories because she'd never been there not even to interview for her new job. She didn't know what she was going to discover when she finally rolled up to her new home in the city of five thousand people, but it couldn't be as bad as what she was leaving behind.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've been writing nearly every day now so I'm feeling more comfortable about being able to update fairly regularly. I'll aim for weekly and they will likely be on the short side, but I hope that isn't a huge issue.**

When the towns grew further apart the farther she drove down the two-lane highway, she started to reconsider her decision to move to the middle of nowhere. Was the promised change of pace and the added benefit of a house three times the size of her apartment really worth the isolation and uncertainty? She wanted change, but uprooting her life, ending her two-year relationship with Josh, and putting hundreds of miles of distance between the life she knew and the one she was starting seemed drastic now that she had hours to think about her decision.

"I've made a horrible mistake," Kate murmured, worrying her lip between her teeth.

"In one mile turn left and your destination will be on the right," her GPS chimed.

It was too late to turn back now; she was just on the outskirts of her new home. A road sign indicating reduced speed for the next mile only made her heart race.

A large hand carved wooden welcome sign stood to the right of the street. The O in Hawthorne was painted to look like the sun with a river below it appearing to flow into the foreground. Kate was pretty sure there wasn't even a river anywhere near the town.

Driving further down the main street Kate spotted Apple Orchard Road where the house she blindly purchased was located. Turning left onto the street, she only had to drive a couple hundred feet before she was in front of her new home. Pulling into the sloped driveway, she leaned over her console to inspect the Craftsman-style bungalow. From the driveway, a set of six steps opened to the elevated front yard that was wrapped by a fence that looked more decorative than anything else. Though she couldn't see them from her car, she knew from pictures that three white washed, plank steps led to the front porch.

Kate parked in front of her detached garage so she wouldn't need to engage the parking brake on the steep driveway and got out of the car. The house appeared to be in good condition, and she was told that by the housing inspector, but still having not seen the house in person before she needed to confirm it herself. She walked behind the house into the tiny backyard that stopped only fifty feet from the back door by towering and unkempt hydrangea bushes. Kate could see she would need to touch-up the white trim around the windows of the three-season porch and probably update the rusty color of the rest of the house to a softer hue. Making her way along the side of the house and into the front yard, she stopped, her hands on her hips, and stared up at the house that was now hers. A fluttering sense of pride welled inside her, followed by memories of her mom. Her mom would be so proud of her buying a house.

A shuffling sound on the driveway forced Kate to fight back tears as a balding head came into her view. A man of about sixty, with a wide and friendly grin, climbed the steps to the yard, shaking a set of keys between his fingers.

"You must be Katherine Beckett!"

Kate smiled with hesitation, "yes I am."

"I'm Larry Owens, the realtor. It's wonderful to finally meet you in person!"

"Oh, hi Larry!" Kate shook his extended hand. "I decided to look over the house before I called you. How did you know I was here?"

"It's a small town, word gets around. Plus, I live across the street and I saw the U-Haul in the driveway." He winked. "I have your keys and I'm sure you are just dying to have a look inside."

Larry led Kate to the front door and handed her the keys. Kate unknowingly held her breath as she unlocked the door, pushing it open.

"As I told you in previous conversations, there is hardwood throughout, up-to-date appliances, a nice wood burning fireplace, and a finished basement." Larry stepped into the kitchen, pointing out a basket full of items. "My wife is the self-proclaimed Welcome Wagon and enjoys making these welcome baskets for every new person to the town."  
"Tell her I said thank you." Kate eyed some of the food items she was given. "I probably wouldn't have time to go grocery shopping later, so this is much appreciated."

"Did you need help with moving your belongings in?"

"No, I hired some movers to be here in about an hour."

"That's good. I should leave you to enjoy your new space, but do not hesitate to stop by if you need anything. I am just across the street in the little blue house."

After thanking Larry and telling him she would see him again soon, she fell against her front door as she took in the little details the realty pictures failed to show. She was a home owner now and she allowed herself to feel a little happy about that despite the huge changes in her life still causing her much anxiety.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's been a busy week so I wasn't sure if I was going to post this yet, but since today is the 2 month-iversy of my having weight loss surgery, I figure why the hell not. It's a kind of big day for me. In reference to some questions, the city of Hawthorne is not based on any particular city, although I am using my experiences from having lived in a small town in Minnesota, so what state it is in is ambiguous for a reason.**

Kate wasn't set to start her new job until Wednesday, so she had all of Tuesday to work on unpacking her life. By mid-afternoon Kate needed a break. On a whim, she decided to walk the few blocks to the library to get a feel for her new work environment. One thing Kate was discovering, was a big similarity between small towns and huge cities like New York in that everything was within walking distance and cars were barely necessary. The public transportation was lacking in Hawthorne with only a minibus available upon request which was most used by residents who could not walk or drive places, but it was a system that worked for the town. After nine o'clock at night nearly every business was closed and from the main road, Hawthorne looked deserted. Only one convenience store remained open for twenty-four hours and in the middle of the night was frequented by insomniacs and people getting off the night shift at the nearby hospital or the factories just outside of the city limits.

As Kate got closer to the library, a bubble of excitement grew in her gut. Nobody knew her here nor would they recognize her as the new head librarian, so being able to be "undercover" in her place of employment felt a little thrilling. Stepping into the library, Kate was struck by how outdated the décor was and how little natural light was provided. It wasn't a very welcoming atmosphere and she hoped with the new building that would be addressed. Passing the circulation desk, she quietly walked the rows of shelves, her hands crossed over her chest as she examined every book. She stopped in front of the shelf holding fiction written by authors whose last names started with P. Almost the entire unit was stuffed full of books from James Patterson.

"Is someone a Patterson fanatic?" Kate mumbled to herself, pulling one of his older Alex Cross books from its home. To say she cracked open the book would be a lie, because really the book crumbled open. The spine was not only broken, it appeared to have been taped together several times over. Kate was sure the book was more tape than actual words. "What kind of literary freak show did I walk into?" Kate's mouth hung agape.

She'd seen enough and reached to place the book back on the shelf, but changed her mind, tucking the book under her arm and marching to the circulation desk. A lone library assistant sat in front of the computer, engrossed in whatever he was working on.

Kate dropped the Patterson book on the desk, startling the zoned-out employee back to life.

"Can I…I…I help you, ma'am?" the man stuttered.

"I need to speak with the head librarian please." Kate stated.

"Just a second, I'll page him." The man fumbled with the phone and made a mostly-coherent overhead announcement.

A few minutes later a man dressed in a plum, pin-striped button-up shirt and dark denim jeans strolled up to the desk with a gleam of arrogance in his eyes. Any other day, Kate Beckett would have found this man attractive, but after viewing the state of his library Kate could only look at him with disgust.

"Hey, Kev, what did you need?" the man asked his employee.

Kevin pointed to Kate, "she wanted to talk to you."

The librarian flashed a smile that likely dazzled every new female to the town and likely some of the men. "I'm Rick Castle." He held his hand out in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Castle. I was hoping to speak with you about some things in this library I find concerning."

Rick's smile faltered. "Certainly, Miss…"

"Kate. My name is Kate."

"What were some of your concerns, Kate?"

Kate held out the James Patterson book she pulled earlier in front of her. "I'm curious why this book is still on the shelf for one."

Rick pursed his lips, then smirked. "Not a fan of Patterson? He does write a book like every month, so I can imagine the quality of his work isn't that great. I'll tell him next time I see him."

"No, Mr. Castle. I am sure the content of this book is just fine, it is the physical state of the book that is the problem. Why is it on the shelf when it is being held together by duct tape and wishful thinking?" Kate flipped the book open. "Look at this book. The spine is broken in multiple places, pages are falling out, and that looks like blood." Kate pointed to a mysterious stain on page 143. "This book should not be on the shelf, not only to keep this library more organized, but also for the health of your patrons."

Rick sighed, rubbing his hand against the back of his head.

"I'm sorry if my 'book hoarding' has upset you." Rick forcefully chuckled, throwing her a tight smile.

Kate's hackles raised, sensing Mr. Castle's attempt at levity was passive-aggressive at best. "I have to ask, what do you do with books like this? Do you toss them? Recycle them?"

Rick's eyes widened in horror like Kate had just pulled a gun on his mother. "Excuse me? Throw out books? That's sacrilegious in the world of libraries."

Kate furrowed her brow while her scowled mouth, like her thoughts, attempted to decide if he was being serious. "I assure you Mr. Castle, most of the library community does not share your ridiculous belief that every book deserves a place on a shelf."

If Kate had shot Rick's mother right there in the library, he would have looked less offended than he did by her comment.

A raging heat rose in his belly and he met Kate's eyes in defiance. "I am a librarian," he growled, "a cultivator of knowledge, not a blasphemous heathen against history. If my belief that every book _does_ deserve a place on a shelf is so wrong, feel free to mention it at the next town council meeting. I'm sure my friend the mayor will be more than willing to side with me."

The smug smirk Kate threw back at him before leaving the library without another word, left Rick slightly confused.

"Can you believe that woman?" Rick commented to Kevin.

The assistant's weak and worried grimace went unnoticed by the librarian who watched as the woman left the premises.

 **A/N again: And yes, the James Patterson section of the library I work at is basically two book shelves (and we weed the collection like mad).**

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Depending on how much writing I get done in the next week, I may end up skipping an update next week, but in penance I bring you an extra long chapter (at least long by my standards).**

The closer her house got, the angrier Kate became. She hadn't even started working yet and she was feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by everything that would need to get done. Storming up her driveway and stomping up the side steps, she fumbled with her keys to the front door in turn making her more frustrated. Finally unlocking the bolt and walking through, Kate slammed the door behind her and flung herself across the couch that she was still deciding upon where it would go. A loud and frustrated groan escaped from her mouth while her brain went into overdrive trying to figure out all the changes that needed to happen at her new library. When the physical exhaustion from her day of unpacking and her mental exhaustion from stressing about her job finally hit her, Kate passed out on her couch.

An explosion ripped Kate from her dead-like sleep. Sitting straight up with her eyes wide, she scanned her darkened living room. Her heart was beating wildly and her foggy state of mind left her confused. Kate brought her hand to her chest. An explosion. She woke up because of an explosion. The library exploded? She fell asleep on her couch and woke up because…Richard Castle made her head explode. In her dreams. Little snippets of her nightmare came back to her. She was following Rick around the library as he instructed her to keep every book no matter how poorly they looked. Her frustration was making her head hurt to the point where it exploded and despite the library being on fire, there was Mr. Castle running around with a fire extinguisher attempting to save every book. It didn't matter that that overused copy of _Game of Thrones_ looked like it had been torched by a dragon with only fragments remaining, to Richard Castle it was still a book that deserved a place on his library's shelves.

Kate checked the time on her father's watch. It was just after one in the morning. She was to report to her first day of work in less than seven hours. She only hoped she could fall asleep again.

* * *

The piercing shrill of her alarm clock woke Kate from her restless sleep. She did not feel well rested which could only mean unpleasantness for her new coworkers. She already knew she'd have a difficult relationship with her co-head librarian, she only hoped her inevitable bad mood wouldn't leave too bad of an impression on her employees. Dressing in a powder blue skirt suit and a pair of power heels, Kate threw her shoulder bag across her body and with a travel cup of coffee in hand she headed for her new job.

The walk to the library was more difficult in heels than it had been in her sneakers, but she didn't want to walk in wearing them on her first day. Kate was instructed to ring the bell to the back door of the library since, when she was scheduled to arrive, the library would still be closed. Walking around to the back of the building, Kate found what she assumed was the staff parking lot and the presumed back door. She pushed the door bell and waited. A full thirty seconds passed with no response, so Kate tried again. Just when Kate was about to start knocking on the door, the clunk of the crash bar being pushed stopped her as a woman with dark brown eyes that match her skin appeared. The woman's vibrant outfit of mismatched patterns, that somehow works well together, caught Kate off guard before the woman offered her a warm smile.

"You must be Katherine Beckett!" the woman greeted, a hint of a Louisiana accent evident. "I'm Willie Bates, we've been expecting you."

Kate grinned, feeling more at home than she had in the last few days. She held out her hand which Willie accepted. "Please call me Kate."

"Well come on in, Kate. Mr. Castle has been anticipating your arrival. He's the head librarian and he may seem a little rough around the edges at first, but trust me, he's a sweetheart."

Kate nodded, not wanting to reveal her encounter with Richard Castle the previous day, and followed Willie through the stacks of the library toward the front of the building.

"Rick will give you a more thorough tour later, but I wanted to make sure you at least met everyone first before I hand you off to him," Willie explained, as the pair approached a small group of library staff looking over that day's schedule that was posted on the wall of the workroom. "Hey everyone, this is Katherine Beckett, our new boss."

The four staff members turned at the sound of Willie's voice. Three of the people grinned at Kate, while the fourth, recognizing Kate as the woman his boss was still ranting about, gave her an uncomfortable smile.

"This is Jenny O'Malley, she's our children's librarian, Lanie Parish is our adult librarian, and Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan are two of our circulation assistants," Willie introduced.

Kate shook the hands of each of them and when she got to Kevin said, "nice to see you again, hopefully my second impression is better than my first."

Allowing the staff to get their day started, Willie led Kate to the far wall of the workroom where a few office spaces were, including her own, which currently sat devoid of personality. While Willie gave Kate a quick rundown of what to expect at the Hawthorne Library, a knock against the door frame halted further discussion.

The man Kate knew as Richard Castle swaggered into her office in the same arrogant manner he had the day before, but when he recognized Kate, his stance wobbled, like he couldn't decide whether to be enraged, startled or confused. His face reddened.

"Ah…ahh… hello, Ms. Beckett," Rick stuttered out, holding out his hand reluctantly.

Kate bit her lip and grasped his hand in response. When Rick's face reddened, Kate was certain she was going to see the same angry and defensive man from their first meeting, but was surprised to realize his first reaction was embarrassment.

"Willie, I can take over from here."

Willie hesitated at the doorway, feeling the tension between the two librarians. She opened her mouth to say something about it but stopped herself and instead replied, "okay, Rick. Let me know if you need me for anything though."

After Willie left, Rick turned his attention back to Kate. "Did you want to follow me to my office and we can get through the necessary paperwork, Ms. Beckett?"

"Please call me Kate."

"Kate. Yes, you told me that yesterday." Rick retorted, before turning and walking out the door.

Kate followed him to his office, which was the next door over, and took a seat across from Rick at the small table he had on the opposite wall from his desk.

Rick gave Kate his usual HR spiel that he did with each new employee before finally getting to the discussion part of their first meeting. Even though he feared what suggestions Kate would bring to the library expansion, he knew if their working relationship was to run smoothly, he'd need to get over his apprehension of giving up free rein.

* * *

Two hours into her first day of working for the Hawthorne Library, Kate found herself standing beside her reluctant partner in the stacks. She didn't want to bring up, what she deemed, Rick's phobia of weeding on her first day, but after touring the remainder of the library, she realized the task of downsizing and perfecting the Hawthorne collection was too big and too important to ignore.

"Mr. Castle, I know you probably don't want me to bring this up again," Kate hesitated, seeing Rick's face cringe since he knew what was coming. "I need to discuss how vital it is that we and the staff start weeding everything in this library so when we do move to the bigger library it isn't as daunting a task."

Rick sighed deeply and paused to get his thoughts in order and prevent himself from raising his voice, "Miss Beckett, I find it appalling that as a librarian you are so willing to toss books that simply have a bit of wear and tear."

Even though Kate hoped Rick would be a little more receptive to her opinion, it was obvious that he wasn't going to agree with her, at least without a good fight. Crossing her arms over her chest, Kate glared at Rick, causing him to stop before he said anything more. "I believe you called me a heathen yesterday because I, like a good majority of librarians, believe that discarding old, outdated, irrelevant, and damaged material is necessary in maintaining a well-run library."

Rick opened his mouth to defend his statements, but Kate held out her pointer finger and continued to present her argument.

"When I step into a library, I don't expect the books to be in excellent condition, but I also don't expect to contract a life-threatening illness because the person who had the book before me bled all over it or used it as a vomit shield when their child got sick, which trust me, I have encountered at previous jobs. I would hope there are books that you have withdrawn from the collection because the condition is so disgustingly poor, but it makes me wonder where they are because I'm well aware of your aversion to book disposal."

Rick shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then took a book from the shelf beside him like he was examining it. When a couple of pages fluttered to the ground from where Rick had opened it, Kate ignored the solidifying evidence, instead wanting to know what had Rick feeling uncomfortable.

"What do you do with materials that are far beyond damaged, Castle?" Kate's hardened scowl had Rick's heart stuttering. The guttural moan that escaped his vocal cords clued Kate into his embarrassment and guilt.

"You know you would make a great interrogator with that stare," Rick attempted to divert the topic, which only honed Kate's glower. Rick's rushed response of "I suppose I didn't show you the storage space on our tour, did I?" was met with an exasperated groan from Kate who covered her face with her hands.

"This is an absolute nightmare. I can only imagine how many times the recycling trucks will need to stop by in the next few weeks, or maybe I'll just need to call a biohazard team instead."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Rick said. "We are not getting rid of those books, Beckett."

"Are you serious right now?" Kate nearly shouted before continuing with a harsh whisper. "There is absolutely no reason to keep any book that no longer resembles a book. The library is not an orphanage for damaged materials!"

"Okay, Kate, let me explain…" Rick attempted to say.

"No. You need to show me this storage space so I can get a rough estimate of what to tell the recycling crew when they come."

Rick knew barely anything about Kate, but he did know that he wasn't going to win this argument easily or at all for that matter. Motioning for her to follow him, Rick trudged to the back of the library like he was being led to the gallows. Pulling out his master key, he unlocked a door that was near the staff break room and held it open for Kate while simultaneously waving his free arm in the air to trip the motion sensors on the lights. A few lights flickered on revealing small patches of books against the walls of the otherwise open space. Kate felt an odd sense of relief that Rick's forbidden stash of undesired books wasn't as big as she had anticipated. It made sense though, considering the James Patterson book she pulled the day before barely resembled a book. For Rick to have actually removed a book from the stacks, it must have been in a horrifying condition.

"So this is Richard Castle's literary graveyard. Not as big as I was expecting, for which I am grateful. I was not looking forward to arriving to work every day with the massive hangover that would have been the result of my coping mechanism of choice."

"I'll have you know that I am capable of throwing a book or two out that have had the unfortunate run-in with copious amounts of bodily fluids. And since I know you think I am averse to throwing out books, in those instances I was more grossed out than physically pained in their disposal."

Kate's lips twitched as she attempted to fight back her amusement, but Rick saw her response and pretended he wasn't feeling smug that she found his comment funny.

"The books I've put back here are items that I've set aside in hopes that someday soon I can convince the mayor to allot me the funds to have them repaired."

"I think you are way too optimistic. While it is an honorable, albeit foolish, desire to have these books repaired, in the long run, it is financially more responsible to have them recycled." Kate picked up a book from one of the piles and fanned the book open with her thumb like a flipbook. "Considering, from what I can see, all of the items are mass print books and have little to no historical value, it won't be a huge loss if this copy of _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ," Kate raised the book for emphasis, "becomes a newspaper someday."

"Don't let Clara Youngstead hear you bad mouth _Fifty Shades of Grey_. She's probably checked out that copy dozens of times over the last few years. I've seen Mr. Youngstead's downcast face come through this library enough times to draw my own conclusions."

Kate grimaced and held the copy between her thumb and pointer finger like it had suddenly become diseased with smallpox before tossing it back into the pile. "That's probably way too much information about a patron than I need to know."

A softened ding rang through the back room followed by the voice of Javier Esposito on the loud speaker, "Rick to the service desk please."

"A librarian's duty is never done. We have been summoned."

Kate followed Rick out of the storage space and up to the front desk where Javier was waiting for his boss.

"What did you need, Javi?"

"Ted's in the parking lot again." Javi said, like it was secret code for something.

Rick rubbed his hands together, "Oh great, this will be a perfect introduction for Kate. She can see how things are run in small towns."

Kate quirked her eyebrow and again followed Rick, this time to the patron parking lot. Exiting the front doors, Kate instantly knew what was the issue. The parking lot was fairly large for a small town, being able to accommodate at least twenty cars, but when there was a giant tractor taking up at least four spaces in the middle of the lot, Kate had a feeling there would be outrage among the patrons who only had a car.

Rick approached the large green tractor, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he stared up at the driver.

"Hey Ted, I've told you before that you can't park your tractor in the lot. There isn't enough room and I don't particularly want to deal with angry people today."

"Come on Rick, I'm just here to pick up my wife's books. I'll only be a second." Ted called down to the two librarians.

"I'll let you go grab her books, but if you aren't back out here and moving this thing in five minutes I'm going to have to tell your wife I'm holding her items hostage until she convinces you to stop driving the tractor into town."

Ted's expression changed from jovial to fearful, like Rick had forced him into a locked room with a tiger. Jumping down from the tractor, Ted hustled into the library to grab the books, leaving Rick and Kate to wait for his return.

"I take it this is a regular occurrence?"

"At least once a month. His wife runs the Scarlet Latte down the street and she's the sweetest woman in the world and despite my empty threats of tattling on him, Ted still gets that fear-of-God expression every time I mention it."

"Maybe Mrs. Youngstead isn't the only one regularly checking out _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ," Kate suggested.

The undignified snort that Rick emitted, in turn caused Kate to release an unexpected guffaw. The pair, although seemingly mortal enemies hours before, were grinning at each other when Ted returned with a pile of paperback romances in his arms.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting  
Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay in posting. Life's been crazy; today is my niece's first birthday so I've been working on finishing Noelle's gifts the last two weeks because I decided last minute to crochet her another stuffed animal. Then every time I tried to write the last two weeks I was just so exhausted from work it never happened. But enough with the excuses, on to the fic.**

On Kate's second day of work, Willie asked to speak with her. Kate welcomed her into her office, where Willie shut the door behind her and took a seat across from Kate.

"I just wanted let you know about something that me and the other staff have done."

The space between Kate's eyebrows creased. Willie either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge the worry that was written on her new boss's face and instead continued with her confession.

"I've heard you trying to persuade Rick into getting rid of some of our books here." Kate eyes widened, hoping Willie wasn't going to give her a similar lecture on book preservation that Rick had. "I'll have you know that most of the staff here come from past jobs at bigger libraries that viewed weeding as a necessary evil in our profession. We have brought that same philosophy with us to Hawthorne and all of us have subtly tried to get Rick to come to our side." Willie paused, her shoulders slumping slightly, "I guess we've been too subtle though because over the years that Rick has been head librarian, Javi, Kevin, and I have been secretly weeding the books whenever Rick is not working or on vacation."

Kate covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers, like she was trying to hold back the words she wanted to say.

Willie lowered her voice like she was about to give a detailed plan for a bank heist before Kate could let any words escape, "Every six to eight weeks, the Hawthorne schools have a teacher development day. Rick takes those days off as often as he can so he and Alexis can spend more time together. Sometimes they visit his mother in New York, sometimes they just stay in town, but those days are also when the recyclers come to collect what we've been able to hoard since their last visit. Lanie says we are "Shawshanking" the library because we remove books when we can and hide them until the "big day," kind of like in The Shawshank Redemption when Andy drops pocketsful of dirt from the hole he is digging every time he goes outside."

Kate isn't sure whether to be impressed or flabbergasted by the ingenuity and odd dedication from her staff. "Where do you guys keep the books until you are able to recycle them?"

"Here and there," Willie said cryptically.

"And that means..."

"There are extra lockers in the staff area that we keep all of the books we collect through the weeks. Since Rick has his own office, he has no need for a locker and therefore rarely needs access to the area. When the recyclers come, we are usually able to clear out at least four lockers-worth of books."

Kate knows she shouldn't find the whole situation funny considering its absurdity, but that doesn't stop her from smirking. "I appreciate your honesty, Willie. Hopefully in the coming months though, we will no longer need to do any covert ops to keep the library looking nice. I'll keep persuading Mr. Castle, and you guys keep doing what you've always done until it isn't necessary."

The first weekend Kate spent in Hawthorne was spent continuing to unpack and organize her home, but by late Sunday afternoon Kate had no more boxes to sort through and was exhausted. She fell asleep by seven that night and only had the few hours before that to relax.

On her second weekend in Hawthorne, Kate was determined to be as lazy as she could get away with and by two o'clock on Saturday she was still in her pajamas and had finished the two books she was reading. She wasn't used to her life being so slow. In New York, everyone was on hyper-speed but in Hawthorne there wasn't a plethora of entertainment options. The one-screen movie theater off the main street only showed two movies a week, only at night, and the movies playing that week didn't interest her.

As she sprawled out on her couch, which she had finally placed in front of the bay window facing her driveway that also allowed her to see the street from where she would sit, she found her mind wandering. She thought about her first two weeks in her new town, all the Hawthorne residents who welcomed her so warmly, the neighbors who brought her casseroles that she'd only seen people do in 1950s sitcoms, and then she thought about her coworker, Rick Castle.

Despite their contemptuous first encounter, Kate and Rick's working relationship was running smoother than either of them had expected. Kate was still pressuring Rick into being pro-weeding, but other than that difference of opinion, the pair's work ethics meshed well and they both had made significant progress in the moving plans. The new library wasn't set to open for another six months, but in the opinions of both head librarians, it was never too early to start putting a plan in place.

Resting her had against the back of her couch, Kate spotted a person walking up her driveway. Her heart picked up speed when she realized, like she had conjured his presence, that the person now climbing her front steps was the man her mind drifted to in thought.

Kate whipped her head back and forth, checking to see if her house looked reasonably presentable before jumped from the couch to put her dirty dishes from lunch in the kitchen sink. The doorbell chimed throughout the house and Kate tried to make herself look like she hadn't just rushed around the house like a maniac by running her fingers through her hair and fixing the top she was wearing. Kate did a double take when she remembered she had decided to not get dressed that morning and was going to have to answer her front door sans a bra, wearing a holey t-shirt from college and pajama pants that had been run through the washing machine so many times that they were now threadbare. The only reason she still had the pants was because they were so soft and worn-in that they were too comfortable to throw out.

Kate threw up her hands and wiggled her fingers like she was summoning for solutions and surveyed her home in hopes that one had magically appeared. One of her favorite red wool pea coats hung by the front door and Kate threw it around her and tied up the belt. She flung open her front door to the surprise of her coworker who was about to leave having assumed she wasn't home.

Rick took in Kate's disheveled wardrobe choices, reddening face and her heavy breathing and said, "I'm sorry, I can come back if you were in the middle of something."

"No, Castle. I was just…" Kate scrambled for an excuse, "…I was just doing yoga."

Rick threw a teasing smirk her way and commented, "is wearing a coat while doing yoga a new exercise fad that I'm not aware of? And you just called me 'Castle.' Should I now refer to you as 'Beckett'?"

"No." Kate's first response was clipped before she followed with a slower, "to both questions."

Rick shifted from foot to foot as he jumped to his reason for showing up at her door. "I was walking around the neighborhood and I was thinking about you…"

"You were thinking about me?" Kate interrupted.

"Uh, no, wait, I was thinking about asking you over for dinner some night and you can meet my daughter and some of the neighbors and connect with some people outside of the library and maybe get to know the mayor, since he and I are friends, and maybe learn a bit more about the town and…"  
"Rick, you're rambling."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I was just wondering if that would be something you were interested in doing some time."

Kate's cheeks warmed and if her face wasn't already red from her frantic run around earlier it was after his invitation. "Actually, I'd love to."

"Good." Rick said on an exhale and started to back away from Kate's front door. "I should get going now, I don't want to intrude on your weekend, I just wanted to see if you were interested."

"Okay, I'll see you at work on Monday then."

"Yeah I'll see you then." Rick raised his hand in an awkward wave before shuffling down the side steps leaving Kate standing in her doorway with a flutter in her stomach.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for the delay in posting. Life has been busy.**

"The Burrito Bandito has struck again, Rick." Lanie called out from the hallway outside Rick and Kate's offices before she arrived at Rick's open door. "Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting."

Kate, who was sitting across from Rick at a small table against the wall, quickly said, "You're not interrupting, Lanie, we were just discussing a few things."

"What is that in your hands?" Rick's face contorted in disgust.

"I just told you, the Burrito Bandito struck again. I was looking for a book in the parenting section and I discovered this." Lanie held out an opened book that had been destroyed by a burrito smashed between the pages. The remnants of beans and cheese already starting to darken with mold.

Kate scrunched up her face as she got a whiff of the massacre. Rick sat across from her glaring at the item in Lanie's hands. Kate could feel the radiating hate that Rick was shooting at the book like it was the culprit. Kate suspected Rick wanted to murder the person who had desecrated not only public property, but a book, something that, to him, represented more than just typed and bound paper.

Kate hesitated before speaking up. "I take it this has happened before?"

"Not to this extreme, no. Usually the guy just abandons a half-eaten burrito on a shelf, but it has never escalated to…to…murder." Rick's voice caught in his throat as he struggled to finish his sentence.

If Kate hadn't had such respect for books she might find Rick's dramatics a little funny, even though she did think he was being a little more melodramatic than necessary. To the vandalizer, whom the Hawthorne librarians had dubbed the Burrito Bandito, squishing a burrito into a book was a prank, but to the staff at the Hawthorne Library, it represented disrespect for knowledge and intolerance of opinions. The punk with the sick sense of humor probably didn't see his actions as anything more than a way to impress his immature friends and made no connection to the irony of destroying a nonfiction book about teaching children about morals.

"What have you been doing to try and catch this person?"

"Nothing because the person has only been leaving burritos on shelves and nothing was ever destroyed. We figured it was either a very forgetful burrito-eater or a teenager pulling a harmless prank. Maybe we'll have to bring someone in to catch the culprit." Rick said.

"Well, let's not call the police force before we try being more watchful of that area of the library and note who normally is over there," Kate placated, turning her attention back to the librarian still standing nearby with the odorous book. "Lanie, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Rick and I will figure something out."

Lanie nodded in acknowledgement and left the room.

"We could be our own detectives!" Rick's solemnity turned to excitement faster than Kate could return her attention back to her colleague. Rick covered his mouth when he saw Kate's widened eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine, did you want to finish talking about the upcoming changes to children's programming?" Kate asked and when she received a hummed response, continued her discussion from before she learned of the Burrito Bandito.

"Do you think we could subpoena the security cam footage from the taco restaurant from a few days ago so we can narrow down our suspects?" Rick blurted.

"Castle! Are you even paying attention to what I am saying?"

"You called me Castle again, Beckett." Rick smirked.

"Don't call me that and I only call you 'Castle' when you are frustrating the hell out of me."

"Were you frustrated when I stopped by the other day?"

Kate blushed. She knew Rick wouldn't be so obvious with his innuendos while at work, considering the strict sexual harassment rules the city has, but she couldn't stop her mind from going into the gutter with his question.

"Oh, no. Not…that's not…that's not what I meant." Rick stuttered when he saw Kate's reaction which resulted in him blushing too.

"Can we get back to this meeting?" Kate asked before the interaction could fall into an awkward silence, for which Rick gratefully nodded.

A few hours later, Rick popped his head into Kate's office to ask if she was free for dinner at his place that coming Saturday. Kate wasn't expecting him to get the ball rolling for his get together so quickly and was surprised that it was so soon. She was still new in town though and didn't know many people yet, so it wasn't like she had plans anyway.

* * *

After a weird week that included her introduction to the Burrito Bandito and a request that a local farmer not bring his manure bucket into the library to Google what was wrong with his heifer, Saturday arrived. Rick asked for the guests to arrive at his place by six and Kate, being the punctual person she was, arrived a few minutes early carrying a bottle of wine for the host.

After ringing the doorbell, the front door swung open to reveal a smiling redheaded girl with the same blue eyes as Rick.

Kate smiled and said, "you must be Alexis. Your father speaks very highly of you."

"You must be Kate," the girl stated, "my dad speaks highly of you as well."

"He does?" Kate's astonished response takes Rick's attention away from the roast he was watching in the kitchen and brings him rushing to the front door.

"Oh Alexis, I hope you aren't revealing all of Hawthorne's secrets to our newest townie."

"No Dad, I was just telling her about your little crush on the newest townie," Alexis's teasing lilt, one that was meant to be playful but also revealed more than Rick wanted, catches both Rick and Kate off guard, their faces red with embarrassment and flattery respectively.

"Please ignore my daughter, I think she's gotten into her grandmother's wine again," Rick chuckled and attempted to downplay the revelation as he nudged his smirking daughter away from the entry way. "You are the first to arrive, so feel free to take a seat in the living room with Alexis, I just need to keep an eye on the roast. It's nearly to the point of perfection."

Kate followed Alexis and sat in an arm chair and Alexis plopped herself onto the couch across from her.

"Who else is coming tonight?" Kate asked.

"Ummm, I know Dad invited the mayor and his wife, everyone at the library, but several of them weren't able to accept because of it being last minute, but I think Kevin and Jenny are coming. Did you know they are dating?"

Kate laughed, "Yeah, I figured they were dating when I caught them holding hands as they left work one night."

The ring from a phone echoed from the kitchen and the low murmur of Rick's voice could be heard from where the two women were sitting. Rick's approaching footfalls had Kate and Alexis turning in his direction.

"Bad news it seems. Kevin and Jenny got a flat tire on their way back from visiting Jenny's mother. They were hoping to make it, but they've been having spotty phone service where they got stranded and the tow truck only just arrived. So, I guess it's just us three."

"What about the mayor?" Kate asked.

"He called me a couple of hours ago and said he had something come up last minute. The roast is done though, so we can eat whenever you guys are ready."

"Good because I'm starving!" Alexis declared, jumping from the couch and rushing by her father toward the dining room.

Kate stood from the chair feeling her fingers tingle with anxiety. She's had dinner with people she worked with before, so this shouldn't be a big deal, but she's never had dinner with only one colleague at his house with his daughter who had only just confirmed her suspicions that Rick felt something for her. She could get through the meal. At least she hoped she would.

 **A/N: Also the Burrito Bandito is totally something that happened at the library I work at. One of my coworkers found a burrito smashed between a book just a few weeks ago and about a year ago we found an abandoned burrito on one of the shelves. You seriously can't make this stuff up.**

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: A little delay in posting this, sorry about that.**

One thing Kate had to admit was Rick did not lie about the perfection of the roast he cooked. Not being much of a cook herself, the dinner at the Castles' home was the first home cooked meal she had had in a long time. Since leaving New York, Kate relied upon microwaved housewarming casseroles from her new neighbors and while they were homemade, they weren't fresh from the oven when she ate them. The beef roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, and glazed carrots Rick had made warmed her in ways the casseroles didn't or maybe it was the people she ate with that warmed her.

After Rick served everyone a couple slices of beef, Kate sat beside the father and daughter, feeling the love that had filled every room of the four-bedroom house on Cherry Blossom Lane. It felt like the home she once had with her mom and dad before tragedy shattered their lives. While the relationship she had with her father was better than it had been, she doubted it could ever be the way it was when her mother was alive.

"Tell me Kate, why did you move from bustling New York to our quaint little town of Hawthorne?" Rick asked, popping a carrot into his mouth as he waited for her response.

Rick noticed Kate's gaze lose focus like she was fighting a memory from taking center stage. When their eyes met again, Kate's vacillated between a warmth and desire to share herself and a cold hesitation of self-preservation.

"I needed a change," she stated.

Rick waited, hoping she would reveal more, but when she didn't he said, "you are a mystery, Kate Beckett, and I'm determined to figure you out."

"Maybe you can get James Patterson to help you solve the mystery."

Rick smirked, "I think I can handle it on my own."

Kate's eyes flickered as warmth took over the initial coldness and she felt comfortable enough to continue, "My boyfriend was leaving for another Doctors Without Borders mission in Botswana," she paused, "and I had recently found out that someone I thought I could trust betrayed me. I ended things with Josh and realized I needed to leave too. I found the job posting for the head librarian position online the next day, applied and here I am."

"The little backstory for the mysterious Kate Beckett has me even more intrigued. You'd make an interesting character study," Rick teased.

"Dad writes books," Alexis announced, stuffing a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth before continuing. "He's trying to get published."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Pumpkin."

"Is that true?" Kate asked, glancing back and forth to father and daughter.

With a reluctant sigh, Rick admitted, "Yes, I have an agent helping me and she believes I'm getting close to getting signed with at least one of them."

"That's wonderful, Rick!" Kate's genuine and encouraging smile, sent a spark up Rick's spine that he hadn't felt in quite some time. "I'd love to read what you've written sometime, that is if you'd be willing…"

"Of course! Remind me and I can email you the file later."

"You guys moved from New York too, right? What made you embrace small town life?"

"I wanted to focus on writing, and my job in the city wasn't allowing me a lot of time to do that and to be with Alexis. As you know, New York is very expensive and cutting my hours wasn't an option if I wanted to keep a roof over our heads. My mother offered to move in to help save money, but as a grown man, I could not live with my mother. We packed up and left."

"Dad! That is not at all what happened," Alexis chastised. "Gram offered to move in and Dad thought about it, but he knew everyone's routines weren't going to mesh well in such a small place…"

"Living with her adult son and seven-year-old granddaughter put a big crimp in my mother's wild lifestyle," Rick added throwing Kate a playful wink.

"Dad asked how I felt about moving and I told him that I'd be sad to leave all my friends, but it might be a fun adventure."

"She has always been so mature."

"Well someone has to be in this house," Alexis quipped.

"Do you see the abuse I am put through with this one?" Rick said to Kate.

"Elder abuse is on the rise," Kate said, masking her teasing behind a serious tone.

"Ouch! If I had known the both of you would be ganging up on me during dinner, I would have driven out to pick up Kevin and Jenny."

* * *

The trio continued their conversation through dinner and dessert before Alexis decided she needed to finish her homework before it got too late. Not wanting the evening to end, Rick asked Kate if she'd like to move to the living room with some wine to continue talking, to which she agreed.

Sitting on one end of the couch, Kate moved one of her legs beneath her and turned to face the opposite side where Rick was to sit after pouring the wine. Kate laid her arm across the back of the couch and Rick took a seat beside her, a cushion's length between them, and handed her wine glass.

Rick cleared his throat, then gulped down a mouthful of wine, "I hope I'm not prying too much, but you said earlier that you left New York because someone betrayed you, and don't feel like you have to share, but I was just curious about what happened."

Kate swallowed her own mouthful of wine before answering. "Well, when I was nineteen my mom was murdered," she paused, her free hand grasping the ring that was on a necklace she wore. "The killer was never caught. My dad took her death hard and coped with alcohol. I was twenty by the time I realized that my desire to become a cop to find my mom's murderer was not practical. My dad lost himself in whiskey and I couldn't justify the long hours I would be working as a cop then leaving my dad to wallow in his misery while I was away. I put my goal on hold to help my dad and by the time he finally got sober, I was a few months shy of graduating from college."

Rick watched as Kate told her story, every heartache and triumph she experienced was etched in the lines on her face. Rick wanted to lay his hand on her knee for the little support he could give her, but felt it was too forward.

"While in college I had this wild idea that I could solve my mom's murder. I got access to my mom's case file and secretly took pictures of everything in it. While I was in the records room, a detective named Roy Montgomery walked in and asked me what I was doing. I told him about my mom. He gave me his card and we kept in contact over the years. He helped me out when he could and gave me advice and information I needed to keep pursuing the case. I obviously couldn't do as much being only a citizen, but he was willing to look more in depth with anything I found." Kate wiped away a tear that had decided to spring up. "A couple of months ago, I found out Roy, who's now a precinct captain, knew more about my mom's case than he initially told me. He knows who is responsible but he won't tell me because he thinks my not knowing will keep me safe."

Rick let the gravity of the conversation settle before saying, "it sounds like this person is powerful if Roy thinks you need protection."  
Kate nodded in agreement then looked away from Rick. "When I found out he has been leading me on for so many years, I just needed to get as far away from the case and New York as I could. I needed to escape the temptation of having the answer within my reach but being unable to actually get it, so here I am in Hawthorne."

Feeling brave, Rick placed his hand over Kate's which was resting on the cushion that separated them. "I'm glad you felt comfortable telling me these things. I can imagine it wasn't easy."  
Kate returned her gaze to Rick and gave him a whisper of a smile before thanking him.

"You went from a college student hellbent on becoming a cop to somehow deciding to become a librarian. What made you choose a more scholarly career?"

Kate hesitated only briefly reasoning that she had already bared her more devastating secrets to him. "When I was in high school I wanted to be a lawyer like my parents, but after my mom died things changed. Once my dad got sober I considered going to law school again, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. I researched my options and I settled on library science. I initially wanted to be a cop so I could help others find answers, so in a way by being a librarian I'm doing the same thing. I'm not catching murderers or solving crimes, but I'm helping people find information. I'm introducing kids to adventures in books or giving people access to resources that they otherwise wouldn't have because they lack the money or the time. I'm probably not making a big difference in the world, but a part of me hopes that I have changed someone's life in some way."

As Kate finished, Rick stared at her in awe. This woman who had been through so much in her life already, still seemed to see some good in the world and wanted to help others find the same optimism. Kate Beckett wasn't who he expected her to be and the little crush he had on her before she arrived at his home only a few hours before, had grown into a greater appreciation of the girl she once was and genuine admiration of the woman she had become.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this. I've been busy planning a vacation but I wanted to update this before I actually leave on said trip this Sunday.**

Two months after moving to Hawthorne, Kate felt settled and quite content in the small town. During one of her weekly phone calls with her father, he mentioned taking a weekend to visit. At first hesitant about bringing a part of her life in New York to her new life in Hawthorne, she realized that regardless of where she was located, her dad was part of her life, period. Although she and Rick had developed a good working relationship since their dinner at his place, she didn't feel ready to introduce him to her dad. She knew that if she mentioned his upcoming visit, Rick would insist on stopping by.

With the weekend of her dad's visit approaching, Rick suspected Kate was hiding something. Earlier in the week when he stopped by her office to go over finalizing the storage needs for the new library, Kate ended a phone call abruptly when she spotted him outside her not-quite-shut door. He distinctly heard her say, "I love you, too. I'll see you Saturday," as she hung up. While they were not even dating, Rick still felt a knot form in his gut at the idea that Kate was seeing someone and that it seemed serious. It was ridiculous for Rick to assume that just because he and Kate had developed a friendship that she was no longer able to see people romantically, but part of him hoped that Kate was, if not on the same page, at least in the same chapter. It was looking more and more like he and Kate weren't even looking at the same book.

For some reason, the jealousy fueled Rick's motivation to write. The evening after eavesdropping on Kate, Rick found himself typing out page after page of a new book he was plotting. The next three nights Rick pounded away at his keyboard as his word count grew and grew. With his daughter out of town for the week he had no pressing responsibilities and in just four days he had nearly finished a very rough draft of a new book. Just before nine o'clock on Friday night, Rick needed to take a break from his writing and clear his head. The nearly fifty thousand words he'd written was therapeutic and helped him sort out his feelings and motivations regarding Kate, but it was also like someone drinking away their problems. Rick felt burnt out and a little hungover from his writing binge and needed a walk in the balmy May air.

Stepping off his front porch and crossing the lawn to the sidewalk, Rick didn't know where he was going to go, but he wanted to pass by Kate's place, even though it was nearly dark and he knew it probably wasn't a good idea. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Rick walked to the main street of town and took in the surroundings. The nearby pub was one of the few businesses still open and judging by the whoops and hollers coming from inside, the place was lively and at full capacity. Turning in the opposite direction of the pub, which also happened to be the same way he would take to get to Kate's, he walked past one of two gas stations in Hawthorne, then the small grocery store that was closing for the night. A few blocks down the street was where the new library was being built. The basic structure of the building was nearly finished from what people could see on the outside, but Rick knew it would be a few more months before he and the other library staff could start moving into their new space.

Approaching Apple Orchard Road, Rick decided it wouldn't hurt if he just happened to pass by Kate's house. Her house was elevated from the main road, so the risk of her seeing him from the sidewalk was low. The windows of Kate's living room glowed through the white curtains so he knew she was home. A pair of headlights illuminated the path in front of Rick as a car drove slowly down the street, the driver looking out the window like they didn't know where they were. When the Mercedes pulled into Kate's driveway with Rick only a hundred feet away, his heart sped up. It was Kate's mystery man. The one she loved and was supposed to be seeing on Saturday. He heard the man's car door slam, then saw him shuffling up the front stairs with a bag slung over his shoulder. A few moments later, Rick couldn't decipher what he was hearing but Kate's joyful laughter echoed down the street and rattled his heart.

* * *

The unexpected arrival of her father made Kate happy, but she was unprepared. She planned to do her necessary grocery shopping before he was supposed to arrive on Saturday afternoon, but now it looked like she was going to be taking him along on a full tour of Hawthorne as she ran her weekend errands. Being that Nate's Foods was just down the street, Kate and Jim Beckett decided to walk, bringing along an assortment of canvas and cloth bags to lug their food home.

Dragging a cart from the corral just inside the store, Kate parked it off to the side while she went through her list one more time. Rick had given her the recipe for his famous lasagna a few weeks before and tried to pawn off his smorelette recipe as well, but she knew her dad would appreciate the lasagna more than the egg and chocolate monstrosity.

While Kate and Jim walked the aisles of the store, grabbing what they needed and a few items they didn't need but wanted, Kate talked about her life adjusting to a small town and Jim brought Kate up to speed in regards to his life in New York. Stopping in the meat department to review her list for any items she forgot or still needed to get, her Dad told her he needed to grab one thing and that he'd be back quickly.

"Imagine running into you here," a familiar low-timbre voice called from across a display case of bratwursts.

Kate's heartbeat thumped against her pressure points with more intensity. Her work partner smiled at her as he came around to meet her in front of the butcher's display case. In spite of herself, her mouth quirked into a smile and even though the meat department was chilly, she felt warm. "Hi, Rick. I'm just waiting for my…" Kate paused.

"Your who? Does our Kate Beckett have a secret boyfriend?" Rick teased, hoping his playful tone covered up his jealousy.

"Ha! Like I have time for a boyfriend; I have to deal with you five days a week. I could have three boyfriends with the amount of energy I spend working with you."

The confirmation of Kate's single-dom made the rocks nestled in the pit of Rick's stomach turn to butterflies. "I'm clearly too much man for you."

"You're definitely too much of something."

"Katie, I found those frosted animal crackers you liked so much as a kid," Jim Beckett announced, holding up a bag of pink and white sprinkled cookies that she indeed did love even as an adult.

"Oh, Dad. I'm not eight years old anymore…"

"So, you want me to put them back?" Jim asked.

"I didn't say that," Kate grabbed the bag with a smirk and placed it in the cart. "Dad, this is my coworker, Rick Castle. He's the other head librarian."

"Hello, Mr. Beckett," Rick thrust his hand toward the older gentleman with more enthusiasm than he intended.

"Hello Rick, and please call me Jim," he took Rick's hand and shook it.

An awkward silence between the three had Rick announcing, "I don't mean to be rude, but I have a very hungry daughter waiting at home because her dear old dad forgot to stock the fridge while she was on a camping trip with her friends the last week."

As the Becketts and Rick said their goodbyes and Rick disappeared down the snack food aisle, Jim turned to his daughter and said, "you like him. I can see it written all over your face."

"Oh shush," Kate reprimanded with an eye roll just like her mother did. Jim's knowing smirk caused Kate's face to flush.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting  
Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Just a short (kind of filler) chapter so you guys don't think I've abandoned this thing. I've been busy with life and vacation and trying to recover from injuring myself in San Francisco. I may have lost 170 pounds leaving me with a drive to experience life again, but I tend to forget that I'm not as young as I once was and should really practice before riding a bicycle again.**

"Oh Katie, that lasagna was heavenly. Where did you get that recipe?" Jim Beckett asked, setting his napkin beside his plate before leaning back in his chair so his now-stuffed stomach had more room.

Kate hesitated, preparing for the onslaught of teasing. "Rick, actually. He's a pretty amazing cook."

"Hmmm, it sounds like you have dinner with him regularly. I'm surprised I am only hearing about him today. He seems like someone you would have mentioned in our phone calls."

"Dad, it's not like that. We are only coworkers."

"Allen Parker is only a coworker, but I've never had dinner with him and I've certainly never shot love eyeballs at him over slabs of meat."

Kate scrunched up her face. "Ew, Dad. That conjures up images I don't even want to think about."

Jim's mouth puckered as he fought off a grin. "Admit it, Katie. Rick is more than a coworker."

Kate shot a hard glare at her father and Jim was surprised he was still breathing, but he managed to volley back a smirk that said, "don't even try to deny it."

Kate huffed out a loud sigh and threw her hands in the air. "Fine, I like him. Are you happy now?"

"Are _you_?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the way you and Rick look at each other reminds me of the way two other people looked at each other when their friendship was only a couple months old."

Kate raised her eyebrows and tossed him another contemptuous glare, not wanting to encourage his ribbing, but also wanting him to get to the point.

"When your mother and I were 'just coworkers' we'd catch each other's attention from across the office and I wouldn't be able to look away. She would blush and smile shyly at me and I'd be in a daze for the rest of the day. The few months before I got the nerve to ask her out, I barely got any work done. I got struck by lightning every time I saw her and I'd be rendered useless. When I finally asked her out she told me she was preparing to do it herself since she thought I was going to lose my job if it didn't happen soon." Jim paused, staring past Kate like there was a movie screen replaying his and his wife's courtship behind her. "Your mother was the love of my life and the way Rick looks at you reminds me of the way I looked at her."  
"Dad…I'm not in love with him."

"I'm not saying you are, but I don't think it will be very long before that isn't the case. If you are happy with your relationship with Rick as it is, then I'm happy. I just don't want it to be a few years down the line and have you wondering, 'if only…'"

"So what do you think I should do?"

"What do you want to do?"

Having said goodbye to her dad the afternoon before, Kate woke up on Monday morning feeling content. The weekend with her father made her life seem like how it was in New York, only in Hawthorne, she wasn't surrounded by painful memories of her mother. She'd move back someday, but that wouldn't be for a while.

Kate carried her tote bag full of books and other work materials into her office and spotted a to-go cup of coffee sitting in front of her computer. She smiled, picked up the cup and took a long swig already knowing it was how she liked it given the _x Rick_ written on the lid. Once Rick found out how she took her coffee, he started bringing her a cup from the Scarlet Latte every morning.

Rick and Kate were the first ones to arrive for the day, but it wouldn't be long before Willie came in, then the rest of the staff. Kate didn't have much time until then and she feared she'd chicken out if other people were around. She left her office and knocked on the door frame of the office next to her. Rick swiveled around in his chair with a big grin on his face. Kate couldn't help but grin back.

"Hey Kate, how was your weekend with your dad?"

"It was good. How was your weekend?"

"Good as well, _especially_ after my trip to the grocery store," Rick said suggestively.

Kate dropped her head, her hair falling in front of her face to hide her colored cheeks. "I actually wanted to ask you something," Kate pushed her hair behind her ears and looked at Rick again. "Would you maybe want to have dinner at my place on Saturday?"

"You mean like as in..." Rick hesitated, not wanting to be presumptuous, "a date?"

"Yeah," Kate breathed. "I mean if you don't want to, that's fine, I just thought I'd ask. See if you were interested."

"Yes, definitely!" Rick said quickly like Kate would change her mind if he didn't respond within seconds. He then added, "I'd love to."

"Good. Is seven okay for you?"

"It's perfect. I can't wait."

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Surprise! Another update within 10 days! In other news, does anyone want a 17 year old cat? Mine is annoying the crap out of me and refusing to forgive me for going on vacation over a month ago.**

Standing in front of her full-length mirror, Kate assessed her outfit. She didn't want to wear something extravagant like she was going to the Met Gala but she also didn't want to wear something that would make Rick think the dinner was just like every other dinner they had together. Maybe Rick _would_ think the dinner was like all the others, but Kate hoped her little black dress would prove that to be false. Kate had a dish of stuffed chicken breasts in the refrigerator ready to put in the oven when Rick arrived, so while she waited for him she added the finishing touches to her outfit and twisted her hair into a bun that rested low and off to the side.

The echo of her doorbell had Kate's heart galloping in her chest. Taking a deep breath and examining her outfit one more time, Kate rushed to the front door, but first stopping in the kitchen to throw the chicken in the oven. She unlocked and opened her front door and grinned at the sight of Rick standing outside, looking just as nervous as she felt with one arm behind him.

"Hey, come inside."

"Thanks," Rick responded, stepping into the entry then revealing from behind his back a bouquet of brightly colored lilies. "These are for you."

"Thank you, Rick. They are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you, though."

Something about Rick Castle made Kate's face redden nearly every time she was with him and it surprised her that the regularity of her flushed cheeks didn't tip anyone off that she was more than interested in her coworker. Although maybe everyone already knew and she was oblivious to their knowledge.

"I just put dinner in the oven and it should be ready in about twenty minutes. Did you want some wine while we wait?"

"Sure, I can get the wine while you put those in a vase if you'd like." Rick gestured to the flowers.

"The wine and the glasses are on the counter." Kate moved toward the kitchen with the assumption that Rick was going to follow her, which he did. While Kate pulled a vase from the cupboard above her fridge, Rick poured two glasses of wine for them.

"What culinary delight did you prepare for us tonight?"

"It's a recipe of my mom's. Stuffed chicken breasts, then also salad."

"Well, I cannot wait," Rick said, holding out a glass of wine to Kate who had just finished placing the flowers in the vase. "Shall I make a toast?"

Kate smirked. "Sure, knock yourself out."

Rick lifted his glass, "To our own 'Library Detective' Javier Esposito for catching the Burrito Bandito. To Willie and Lanie for being like sisters to me and insisting I put myself out there again. To Kevin and Jenny for showing me that true love is possible. And lastly," Rick made sure to make and maintain eye contact with Kate before continuing, "to us because in the few months you have been in Hawthorne, you have maddened me, challenged me, and frustrated me and I wouldn't change any second of it."

Kate bit her lip and set her glass of wine on the counter beside her.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward…" Rick started to back track, worried he had overstepped and misread the situation.

"Rick," Kate met his eyes again and continued, "kiss me."

Rick fumbled with his glass, nearly missing the counter completely when he went to set it down. "Wha…what?"

With their glasses both safely out of their hands and Rick still trying to process what Kate had said, Kate took the matter, and Rick's face, into her own hands and pressed her lips to his. In a matter of seconds Rick responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer. While their tongues met, Kate stroked her thumb over Rick's cheek with her right hand and slid her left hand to the back of his neck. The pleasure-induced sigh that escaped from her throat encouraged Rick to hear it again and again. When he reluctantly pulled back to take a breath, Kate chased his lips not willing to stop so soon. Rick gave her an appeasing peck before pulling away again. Their hot breaths intermingled while they rested their foreheads against each other.

"Wow…that was…wow," Rick finally said.

Kate grinned and whispered, "yeah," then drew him into another heat-filled and passionate kiss. With Rick's hands rubbing all over Kate's back and her hands massaging the back of his neck, it took all their self-control to not rip each other's clothes off right there in Kate's kitchen. With great reluctance, Kate and Rick parted and gazed at each other, their arms still around the other.

Kate worried her lip between her teeth and felt her voice catch in her throat. She managed to choke out Rick's name and he knew whatever came out of her mouth next was going to change them in some capacity.

"When I left New York, I was escaping a life that no longer felt like mine. I was in a relationship that was going nowhere and I knew that from the beginning, but being with him was the safe option. I still felt consumed by my mother's murder and hopefully someday her case will be solved, but when I was in New York it was the devil on my shoulder, reminding me that her killer is still loose." Kate paused and focused her attention on the top button of Rick's shirt, needing a brief reprieve from their eye contact before meeting his gaze again. "The devil hasn't been able to find me while I've been in Hawthorne. I'm trusting that the NYPD will do what they can to find answers and since I moved here the angel on my other shoulder has had a voice stronger than the devil." Kate inhaled a shuddery breath. "The angel is my mother telling me to not wallow in her death. She's telling me to live my life and not be afraid of love and happiness. It wasn't until I met you that I realized it is possible to be happy despite her death."

Rick's warm smile was infectious and the pair's faces gleamed at one another like they could light up the whole city of New York and maybe the entire state.

Rick pulled Kate close to him again, leaning down to kiss her. Just before their lips met, the high pitched beeping of the oven timer interrupted them.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Regrettably since my last A/N about my cat being annoying, she was diagnosed with cancer and only has a few days to live. So needless to say I am heartbroken but I've been finding solace in writing, so that is why I am posting today.**

As much as they wanted to ignore the oven and make their way to the bedroom, they both agreed it would be better to slow things down. Being that they worked together complicated their relationship and they believed that giving into the fire of their attraction would not allow the embers to stay alive long term.

When Monday rolled around and their relationship status was a little less ambiguous, it took Rick and Kate only a few awkward moments in his office before they were making out against the closed door. The fire between the two raged while their lips explored each other in the ten minutes before some of the staff arrived.

Breathing heavily while Rick peppered her neck with kisses and love bites, Kate gasped, "this going slow thing is going to kill me. I want you so bad!"

Rick pulled away from Kate's neck and rested his forehead against hers, "God, me too, Kate, me too."

"Can you come over tonight?" Kate asked, leaving little innuendo as to her intentions.

"Yes. Definitely. There's something I need to tell you tonight and I've been putting it off too long now," Rick said as their eyes met. Kate hoped to see a look of love from his gaze, but instead saw a shadow of fear cloud his eyes. Her stomach dropped like she was riding down a big hill on a rollercoaster. She waited for her stomach to settle hoping she was only picking up his nervous energy about the status of their relationship and not something else.

The workday dragged and Kate was impatient to leave so she and Rick could talk, among other things. When five o'clock came and the two head librarians briefly parted ways in the staff parking lot, Kate rushed home to prepare for Rick's arrival at six.

Rick's familiar knock against her front door, had her heart flipping in her chest again. She debated whether to change her clothes or not, but decided to just put on a more casual and comfortable shirt instead of changing out of her whole outfit. Kate was grinning when she opened the door and expected a similar response from Rick, but was met by a somber expression.

"Come in."

The flaming desire from earlier in the day was now doused like it never existed. Rick stepped past Kate, walked to the couch in the living room, and took a seat. Kate followed and sat beside him.

"Rick, what's going on?"

Rick sucked in a breath, "I don't want to mislead you or hurt you in any way, but I need to tell you something before we continue seeing what this is between us."

Kate took his hands from his lap and gave them a squeeze. "What is it?"

"Kate, I care about you, a lot, and I've never felt as strong a connection with someone like I do with you," Rick paused like he was fighting back tears, "but I need you to know that I've been using some of my connections from my life in New York and asking people to look into your mother's case."

Kate face paled and her blood felt cold like she had been trapped in a freezer. She released his hands from her grasp as she struggled to form words, her mouth gaping, hoping a sound would escape. When her voice returned, she hissed, "Rick, what did you do?"

Rick couldn't meet her eyes, ashamed that he kept this from her. "My mother is an actress and is good friends with a lot of well-connected people, such as the mayor. I told her about you and what happened to your mother and I mentioned Captain Montgomery. My mother suggested that she could have a chat with some of her friends to get more information and maybe get the investigation rolling again. Well, she mentioned it to the mayor, who mentioned it to the commissioner, and so on until an IA cop named Gates got wind and started investigating."

Kate sat still beside him, waiting for more of his explanations.

"I asked to be kept in the loop so you wouldn't fall back into her case again if it ended up being nothing."

"How long has this been going on?"

Rick hesitated, "a couple months."

A tear, that Kate wasn't aware was present, slid down her cheeks. "You've kept this from me almost the entire time we've known each other?"

Rick shut his eyes, not wanting to see her heartbreak from his betrayal. Feeling brave enough to look at her again, he met her eyes and with as much sincerity as his own broken heart could muster, he said, "I'm sorry, Kate." He stood from his seat and took a few steps toward the front door. "If you never want to see me again, I can hardly blame you. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me…" Rick trailed off.

Kate stared from her seat on the couch as Rick opened the front door and stepped out, leaving behind only the quiet snick of his exit.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind words regarding my cat. I really appreciate it. She's still hanging on though! Sorry this chapter is so short too. I needed to end the chapter where it is because it made more sense for where I'm taking the story next.**

The rest of the work week was tense between the two librarians. Kate avoided Rick as much as she could, which was difficult given their need for collaboration on the forthcoming move to the bigger library. The new library was set to open in less than three months and the construction crews were working on the interior of the building for another six weeks. Rick and Kate were the ones who were supposed to be agreeing on the finishing touches, like the placement of the furniture and book shelves. Given that Kate was furious with Rick, not much was getting done before their tentative two-week deadline.

* * *

As the week turned to into the next, there were only three days until their deadline. A frustrated Rick swung open the front door to his house and threw everything along the wall before dropping face first into his couch. He restrained himself from screaming into the throw pillow and instead let out a long and angry groan.

"Dad? Is that you?"

Rick turned his head from the pillow and called back, "yes, did you need something?"

Alexis appeared from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "No, but something came for you by certified mail. It's from Black Pawn."

Rick jumped from the couch. His daughter gave him a hesitant smile as she handed him the letter with such delicacy it was like the envelope held a tiny bomb. Rick tore open the letter and scanned over the single page. Alexis watched flinching like she anticipated an explosion. When her father's face changed from concentration to elation, Alexis knew the letter only held good news.

"What does it say, Dad?"

"They're publishing it! They're publishing _In a Hail of Bullets_! They are sending me a ten thousand dollar advance check as well. Oh my God, Alexis, do you know what this means?"

Alexis jumped into Rick's arms, squealing in delight. "Dad! I'm so proud of you!"

Rick was nearly in tears, his hand over his mouth. He needed to call… His heart dropped when he remembered again that Kate wasn't speaking to him. He wanted to tell her. She was the first person he thought of to break the news to, not even his mother crossed his mind before Kate. It was killing him to not run to her house, bang down the front door and tell her his amazing news. It was killing him that they weren't speaking, except the tense words about the layout of the new library. It was killing him that he hadn't had his lips on hers in over a week and even more than having his book published, he wanted to kiss her again.

"Alexis, can I ask you a huge favor to keep this just between us for now?"

"But, Dad, why? I thought you'd be shouting it from the rooftops!"

"I promise I'll tell you why later, but for now, I want this to be hush-hush, at least until the new library opens."

"Okay, Dad…"

* * *

Kate was in charge of the library while Rick took a last minute two day leave after they had finally agreed upon the layout plans for the library. Kate had been working for the Hawthorne Library for four months and in that time, she somehow managed to convince Rick of the importance of collection maintenance even if it meant recycling books. While Rick was away, the recycling crew was going to be stopping to pick up that month's collection of discarded materials. Even though Rick still cringed at the idea of tossing damaged books, he found ways to avoid the back room when the recycling truck was scheduled to arrive, leaving Kate to let the crew in every month. Weaving her way past the full recycling bins to the back door where the truck waited, Kate spotted a book sitting on a pile in one of the bins and she faltered in her steps. Normally the book wouldn't have caught her eye, but she'd seen the book in Rick's office a couple times before; it was the James Patterson book they first argued about before she started her job. Rick didn't know that Kate knew he had kept it, but she'd seen it sitting in the bottom drawer of his desk where he stashed his secret candy, that also wasn't very secretive. The poor but recognizable taping job proved to Kate that it was the same book. With her hand against her breastbone she swallowed back the emotions of seeing _their_ book in the trash before letting the recycling crew in the building.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm deviating a little bit from what I had planned originally, but that means I'll be writing a bit more in the next few chapters, so that is either good news or bad news for you guys. Also, even though my cat passed away yesterday, I'm still going to be writing and updating. It has been therapeutic and a way to think of happy things despite her being gone.**

Since Rick's return from his last-minute hiatus the prior week, Kate tried to hide her pain from his lie of omission, then the pain of seeing "their" book in the recycling, as best she could, but the tension between the two was still palpable. Kate knew part of the blame from their feud was on her and her reaction to Rick's gesture. In the few weeks since their relationship ended before it started, Kate could see that Rick only meant to help her and while she didn't appreciate him hiding anything from her, she understood why he did it. Kate even understood Rick's reasoning for putting the James Patterson in the recycling; he thought there wasn't a chance in hell she'd forgive him, but he was wrong. She'd forgiven his indiscretion even before the phone call she received that Wednesday morning from a Lieutenant Victoria Gates with the NYPD informing her of the significant progress that had been made on her mother's case because of one Richard Castle.

Rick knocked on the door jamb to Kate's office, his other hand behind his back. Kate swiveled from her computer and gave Rick a weak smile in acknowledgement.

Rick took that as invitation to enter and despite his heart pounding in his chest, he tried to appear as casual as he could when he revealed a package the size of a cereal box from behind him. "I have had a lot of fun working with you the last few months and as a token of my appreciation and for all of our memories here, I have this for you." Rick thrust the package toward Kate who smiled demurely. "I know that sounds kind of like a farewell speech, well it kind of is, because I've decided to no longer be a librarian here in Hawthorne once the new library opens."

Kate's face flashed a painful expression as she sucked in air to keep her emotions at bay. Her voice cracked on the only word she could get out, "oh?"

"Yeah, it turns out that my agent wasn't lying about a publishing company being interested in my book, because it's being published with a contract for two follow-up books. It's probably premature of me to quit my job before the book is actually out, but the cost of living in Hawthorne isn't like New York, so I think I'll be okay for a while at least."

"So you plan on staying in town?" Kate asked, having difficulty meeting Rick's gaze.

"Yeah, Alexis is nearly done with high school and I just can't see myself leaving this place yet. I've gotten to know so many wonderful people here and then…" Rick paused, "…there's you." Kate looked up at him, moisture rimming her eyes. "I know you are probably still mad at me for digging into your personal business, but please know that I am truly sorry for keeping that from you. It was never my intention to hurt you. I…I only wanted you to have closure, to be happy."  
"Rick," Kate stood from her chair, "I didn't need closure to be happy. I already was … because of you." Kate bit her lip and glanced down to the unopened gift still in her hands.

"I'd give anything for you to forgive me, Kate." Rick gestured to the box and said, "this isn't much, but when I saw it, it gave me hope and I want it to give you the same."

Taking the hint to open the gift, Kate lifted the top off the box and choked out a half laugh, half sob at the sight of "their" James Patterson book.

"I thought my chances with you were ruined and in a haze of anger and misery, I tossed the book in the recycling before I left for those two days. Imagine my surprise when I got back to find the book back in my desk drawer, saved once again from its imminent death." Rick smirked and waited for Kate to meet his eyes again.

Kate stood staring at the book. "Rick," Kate lifted her gaze, "I think you should do what the title says, well only have the noun be singular."

"Your knowledge of grammar is so hot, Kate Beckett." Rick grinned and took a step closer to Kate.

"Well, I am a librarian. I have to know everything," Kate said, returning his grin. "Are you going to do as the book says or not?"

"Oh, I will most definitely _Kiss the Girl_ and that will remain singular." Rick placed his broad hands against Kate's neck and drew her to him.

"Good," Kate breathed out as she wrapped her arms around his neck and their lips met again for the first time in weeks. Kissing Rick was like coming home but not in that clichéd way where it was comfortable and safe, but more like a homecoming after being away for a long time. It was a celebration with illegal fireworks; their adrenaline coursed through them with the exhilaration of getting caught. Even if one of their coworkers walked by and saw them, they didn't care. The weeks since they last touched each other made them both willing to take risks just to be able to feel the other's fingertips against their skin again.

"I missed this. I missed you, so much." Kate whispered as Rick placed kisses against her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids.

"If I could go back in time, I would have never meddled with your mom's case like I did. I'm so sorry, Kate."

Kate slid her hands from his back to his cheeks to ensure he was paying attention. "Don't. Stop apologizing, Rick. I'm grateful that you did meddle." Kate swiped her thumb below his eye and quickly glanced to his lips. "I got a call from the NYPD saying they have new leads and more information about my mom's case, because of you. Because you cared enough to meddle. I was mad about it at first, but now I see that you were trying to help me in any way you could. I can never thank you enough for caring enough to try.

Rick rested his forehead against Kate's and whispered into the little space between them, "can you come over tonight?"

"A stampede of elephants couldn't keep me away."

Rick grinned, "good thing elephants aren't indigenous to Hawthorne so your two-block trek won't be too difficult."

Kate quickly pecked his lips and pulled away to grab her purse from her desk. "I need to leave early, but I'll be at your place by six. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect."

"Good." Kate swooped in and gave him another heated but all too brief kiss before leaving.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I have no excuse for the delay of this chapter other than I was trying to get through writer's block. I originally was going to take this in a different direction, but I'm glad with how it came out. Enjoy!**

Standing on the stoop of Rick's house facing away from the door, Kate used the sleeve of her oversized hoodie to wipe away the tears that had already ruined her date-night makeup. She didn't care if the mascara stained the white sweatshirt; she had more important things to worry about.

The front door opened and Rick's joyful greeting had her turning toward him, wanting to be wrapped in his arms the instant she saw him.

Behind the storm door that separated him from Kate, Rick saw her runny makeup and the sadness seeping from her eyes and his heart stuttered. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Can…can you come with me?"

"Where?" Rick asked, opening the storm door and stepping out on the stoop with Kate.

"To New York."

"What's wrong? Did something happen to your dad? Are you okay?"

Kate pulled up on her right sleeve and held out a small cassette tape in the palm of her hand. "I found this while I was getting ready to come over here. It was wedged inside this elephant statue that belonged to my mom and tonight I accidentally bumped it off my desk causing this to pop out of a secret compartment. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it had to be important if my mom stuck it in there in the first place." Kate paused to take a breath and compose herself. "Lanie was over helping me get ready and she insisted we go to the library since we have a micro cassette player in storage. She found the tape player and we listened to it. It's a conversation between Captain Montgomery and the person who ordered a hit on my mom. I need to get this to the NYPD and I was hoping you'd come with me, that is if you can and want to."

"Kate, of course. Of course, I'll come with you. Anything you need."

Kate released a shuddering sigh as Rick put his arms around her and rubbed his hands up and down her back.

Kate muttered into the fabric of Rick's shirt, "I know this is a lot to ask of you…"

"No, Kate," Rick interrupted. "If you need me I'll be there. Always." He pulled away from her just enough to catch her attention. Rick gave her a warm smile then pursed his lips to hold back the emotions that were urging him to confess. If he didn't kiss her soon he'd reveal too much at a moment that wasn't right. Kate rose to the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his. Rick responded immediately, moving his hands up her back to weave his fingers through her hair, grateful that his mouth was now distracted enough to keep his professions of love at bay for the time being.

They pulled apart with reluctance and met each other's gazes. Kate's makeup was still a disaster, but her eyes were less anguished the longer they looked at one another.

"When were you wanting to leave?"

"Tonight, if possible. Is Alexis here?"

"No, I knew you were coming over and I not-so-subtly encouraged her to sleep over at a friend's house. I can call her and tell her we're going to New York and that we don't know when we'll be back."

"Rick, I don't want you to come if this is going to cause a problem for you and Alexis. I don't want to burden you with this." Kate furrowed her brow.

"Alexis is seventeen years old and if we need to be gone for longer than a day, she is more than capable of handling things by herself. You do not need to worry about burdening me. I lo… I care about you, Kate." Rick wanted to smack himself at his almost-admission and hoped it wouldn't scare Kate off, but if she noticed his near slip-up, she didn't show it.

"I packed an overnight bag just in case we are there longer than expected. I figured we could stay at my dad's place, unless you wanted your own space that is, then I suppose you could go to a hotel or your mom's or something…" Kate began to ramble.

"I want to be wherever you are, so whether that is at your dad's place or our _own_ hotel room is up to you."

Kate's cheeks reddened at Rick's implication. "Despite how much I want our own hotel room, I'd kind of like to be in some place familiar while we deal with this."

Rick nodded then jutted his thumb toward his house, "Let me get some things together and we can head out."

Rick held open the door for Kate to enter before disappearing down the hall and to his bedroom.

Throwing a small suitcase on his bed, Rick stuffed a couple days' worth of clothing in it, as he hurried around the room, grabbing toiletries he would need. He was so focused on his mission that he didn't notice the figure standing in his doorway until she spoke.

"Rick?" Kate whispered, causing him to stop his frantic rush despite how quietly she spoke. She crossed the threshold of his room, the first time she'd ever been in it, and approached him. She stood directly in front of him, struggling to look him in the eye. She swallowed down the fear in her throat and lifted her gaze. "I don't know how to tell you this," Kate paused, "but I need to."

"Okay." Rick's voice wavered, expecting the worst.

Kate brought her hands to his cheeks and rubbed her right thumb under his left eye. She briefly glanced at his lips then smiled like she found the courage she needed.

The weight of fear on his chest lifted at the sight of her smile.

"It's probably crazy to say this, but I'm in love with you," Kate admitted.

Rick glowed at hearing her words. He pulled her against his chest and before kissing her senselessly whispered, "I'm in love with you too."

 **A/N 2.0: I had someone ask me what Patterson book was "their" book and I was hoping I had made it somewhat clear in the last chapter but maybe I didn't. The title is Kiss the Girls.**

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting  
Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: No excuses for my lack of updates. My attempt at an excuse is I was a bridesmaid in a wedding on Saturday and I had been scrambling the last few weeks trying to get my costume ready for the event (it was a Halloween-themed wedding, I went as Mary Poppins).**

With Rick driving, Kate could call her father while they made the trek to New York. The lack of mention of his name in the phone conversation made Rick wonder if her father knew he was staying with the elder Beckett as well. It was possible Kate told her dad they were dating again in the few hours after they rekindled their romance, but that didn't seem likely based on what Rick knew about her; even if she did mention it, she didn't know Rick would agree to come until thirty minutes before she placed the call.

Ending her phone call, Kate looked over to Rick and couldn't help the soft smile that spread across her lips. She reached over the center console and took his right hand resting against his thigh. Rick looked down at their now joined hands and then at Kate. Their mutual grins pushed their hearts into faster and matching rhythms.

"Thank you for coming with me. I don't think I could do this without you."

"I love you, Kate." The words still felt foreign on his lips even though they had raced through his mind every moment he was with her since their first kiss. "It means a lot that you asked me to come."

"Yeah, well Lanie was busy," Kate smirked and waited for Rick's playful glare before continuing, "and while she has impressive arm muscles, they aren't yours; being with you, wrapped in your arms is one of the few things that will probably keep me together the next few days." Kate gave his hand a quick squeeze but didn't let go.

"If all I am to you is a strong pair of arms, then I suppose I can make the sacrifice to hold and comfort a beautiful woman."

They rode in silence for ten minutes, Kate still clutching his hand, before Rick asked, "you mentioned that Lanie knew you had a date, does that mean she knows about us? What about your dad? Is he going to be okay with me being there?"

"Neither of them know that we are together. Lanie thinks I've been interested and subsequently dating the butcher, and my dad, while he definitely suspects we have feelings for each other, I have not told him the change in our relationship."

"Why does Lanie think you are into the butcher? Is this something I should be worried about?"

"She asked me if I was seeing or interested in anyone a few weeks ago and I mentioned that there was someone I met in the meat department at Nate's that caught my eye. The way I worded it though, she assumed I was seeing Hank."

"So, if it isn't Hank the butcher…" Rick flitted his eyes to Kate.

"Seriously, Castle." Kate bit back her smirk. "I was talking about _our_ run-in at the grocery store when my father was visiting. She asked a few days before we had dinner at my place and I didn't want her setting me up with anyone if we were going to start something."

"I knew you had high hopes about that dinner." Rick's teasing lilt had Kate rolling her eyes and pulling her hand from his grip. "So, what about your dad? Is he going to murder me if I'm sleeping in your bed?"

"What's there to say? I've brought boyfriends home before, they slept on the couch, but I'm thirty-three years old not twenty like I was and with you it's…different." Kate turned to look out the window, hoping to avoid talking about how serious she thought they were already.

Rick wanted to press her for more details, but he could sense her desire to drop the subject so he stayed quiet.

With the skyscrapers of New York growing bigger the closer they got, Kate pulled out her phone again and called her dad. Despite the time nearing midnight, Rick could hear Jim's greeting within seconds.

"Hey Dad, we are about twenty minutes away and I have my key to let us in, so don't feel like you have to wait up."

Rick shot her a look with her use of "we" and "us" in the conversation. Kate met his worried eyes with a grin before responding to her father's question about whom she was with.

"Rick is with me, actually." Kate paused for Jim's response and Rick imagined him giving her the third degree about his presence. "We are together," Kate confirmed, reaching for Rick's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, Dad, you were right, it was sooner rather than later. Don't give him a hard time though, he's already freaking out about you knowing he's going to be sleeping in my bed." Kate chuckled at Rick's horrified look. "All right, Dad, we'll see you soon. Bye."

After hanging up, Rick exclaimed, "Kate! Why did you tell him that?"

"Because this trip is already going to be hard for me and I needed to lighten it up a bit at your expense." She smirked.

"Well, see if I let you play my new Angry Birds then."

* * *

Rick pulled into an empty spot in the underground parking ramp by Jim Beckett's apartment just past midnight. Rick grabbed both his and Kate's overnight bags and slung them over his shoulder. Kate reached to take her bag from him, but Rick stopped her and instead held her hand as they walked to Jim's building.

They boarded the elevator and Rick dropped the bags and pulled Kate toward him to kiss her. Before she could protest, not that she wanted to, Rick had slipped his tongue past her lips and pored his pent-up desire into that one moment.

Pulling away in a daze, Kate breathed out, "what was that for?"

"In case I don't get another opportunity to kiss you without fear of your dad walking in."

Kate smiled and before pressing her lips against his again said, "I'm glad my dad lives on the 15th floor and this elevator is slow."

Consumed by each other, it wasn't until the elevator pinged to notify of their arrival to the 15th floor that they pulled apart.

"They must have fixed the elevator. It never used to move that quickly," Kate breathed out, then dragged Rick off the elevator with her.

As the pair approached apartment 1509, Kate pulled out her keys and found the one to her father's apartment. She quietly unlocked the door with an adeptness that made Rick wonder how often she sneaked into the apartment during her youth.

The glow from a table lamp near the doorway illuminated the cozy living room that was filled with pictures of Kate and her parents. There was no need to see a family album as it was already displayed all over the room. Rick approached a photograph of Kate around the age of seven, wrapped in her mother's arms as the pair smile at the photographer.

Kate sidled up to Rick, rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled warmly at the picture he was looking at. "That was taken at a family reunion when I was in second grade. My mom caught my arm as I walked by and smothered me in kisses, then my dad appeared out of nowhere with a camera, as usual. She was so amazing. If I could be half as wonderful of a mom as she was, any kids I may have would be lucky."

Rick turned and wrapped his arm around Kate's waist. He rested his forehead against hers and said, "you are extraordinary and I'm the luckiest man in the world because I get to love you."

Kate brushed her lips over his and whispered, "I love you too." She moved her hand down his arm and grabbed his hand. "Let me show you my room, then we can get some sleep," she said, tugging him down the narrow hallway of her dad's apartment.

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting  
Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Fought the writer's block and am gifting you with this little chapter.**

Rick awakened to the smell of brewing coffee and fried bacon. It reminded him of the Sunday mornings when Alexis was little and he'd prepare a big breakfast in preparation for their day of adventures in the city and it happened to be a good hangover meal for his mother. Rubbing his hand over his face to try and wake himself up more, he searched Kate's childhood bedroom for the pants and shirt he wore the night before. While the new couple only snuggled in the small double bed, Rick didn't want his second encounter with Kate's father to be when he was clad only in boxers coming from his only daughter's bedroom.

Rick buttoned up his shirt and left the bedroom. He could hear Kate's voice in the kitchen and like a siren she lured him down the hall. Kate sat in a kitchen chair, one foot on the floor and the other resting on her seat, her leg pulled to her chest. She wore a bulky sweater he'd never seen before and cradled a cup of coffee between her hands as she spoke with her dad. The sight of Kate Beckett right out of bed, no makeup or shower made his heart stutter. She was beautiful and despite the heaviness of their visit, she had a lightness, a radiance, that sparked his heart back into rhythm. Rick's movement from the hallway caught Kate's attention and her smile radiated joy at the sight of him.

Jim Beckett was not visible from where Rick was standing, but he leaned away from the counter he was standing against into Rick's sightline and greeted him with a smile and a wave of the tongs in his hands. "I figured by the way my daughter lit up like a Christmas tree just now that you had woken up."

Kate blushed but still grinned. "Stop it, Dad."

"Is _the_ Kate Beckett afraid to admit how smitten she is by me?" Rick teased.

"Oh, don't think she is the only lit tree in this apartment, son. People will think it's Christmas in July with you two staying here."

It was Rick's turn to blush.

"Don't stop the glowing on my account. I'm just happy to see my daughter so happy." Jim motioned his tongs between the two lovers and turned back to cooking the bacon.

Rick had made his way to the kitchen and pulled out a chair beside Kate. While Jim was turned around, Rick bent down and kissed Kate on the lips like it was something he had been doing for years. Kate smiled up at him as he pulled away, but she put a hand on the scruff of his neck and pulled him back for another quick peck.

"Did you want some coffee?" Kate asked, already reaching for the pot in the center of the kitchen table.

"Yes please."

Kate poured a cup and added cream and sugar for him. Rick took a sip and said, "how did you get it exactly how I like it?"

"I'm a librarian. I'm very observant." Kate bumped her shoulder against his then took a sip of her own coffee.

* * *

After breakfast Rick made a quick call to his mother to let her know he was in town and set up a tentative dinner with her if Kate was up for it. Once Rick and Kate had showered and gotten ready for the day, they took a cab to One Police Plaza.

Kate had her hand clenched around the tape when they arrived at their destination, she didn't dare even put it in her pocket. Rick paid the cab fare and took Kate's free hand before they entered the building.

The pair went straight to the front desk where Kate asked to speak with Lieutenant Gates regarding an open murder case. They were told to have a seat in the lobby until someone from Lieutenant Gates's office came for them.

To Kate it felt like time had stopped while she and Rick waited an hour to be acknowledged again, but after an officer finally escorted them to the fourth floor, time flew to catch up. Lieutenant Gates spoke with Kate and Rick in separate interrogation rooms then left them in the station break room in case she had more questions. Before Kate realized it, lunch had passed and they hadn't heard much more about the case.

Around one in the afternoon, Gates returned. "My team doesn't have any further questions for you two. We have a few leads, so we will let you know the progress as soon as there is some. We have your phone number on file, correct?"

Kate stood from the couch she and Rick were sitting on and approached the other woman. "Yes, you have both of our numbers. I really appreciate the work you are doing on my mother's case."

"It's been a pleasure meeting you Miss Beckett and my team and I will do our best to get justice for your mother."

"Thank you." Kate held out her hand for Gates to shake and smiled warmly at her.

* * *

The remainder of their day in the city was spent visiting places Rick and Kate frequented before they knew each other. One place they had in common was the little diner that Rick had arranged for them to meet his mother for dinner. Remy's was one of Kate's favorite places to grab a meal at any time of the day or night and it didn't surprise her that Rick was a fan too considering his penchant for middle of the night writing and large milkshakes.

Rick led Kate to a booth in the corner of the restaurant near the windows and took a seat beside her while they waited for his mother. It wasn't long before the flame haired actress waltzed through the doors and spotted her son.

"Richard, it is so wonderful to see you!" Martha Rodgers engulfed Rick in a hug when he stood to greet her.

"Mother, it's great to see you too." He smiled, then turned to Kate who had also exited the booth, "and Mother, this is Kate Beckett, my girlfriend."

Martha grabbed Kate in her arms and said, "Darling Katherine, it is great to finally meet the woman my son cannot stop talking about and you are even more beautiful than he described."

Martha's wide and warm smile was contagious and both Kate and Rick reciprocated the enthusiastic greeting.

The group placed their orders and held a lively conversation while they waited for their meals. When Rick noticed Kate suddenly turn silent, he followed her gaze to the TV across the restaurant where a picture of her mother took up half the screen while the other half showed a live feed of a man in handcuffs being escorted from a building. Below the split screen was the headline, "Senator charged with murder."

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I know it's been forever since I've posted! I did not intend to be gone so long though. My parents sold their house, I moved to my own place and I'm adopting a couple of cats (hopefully getting them Sunday!) so I've had a lot going on. The cats names will be Maisie and Remy in case you were curious.**

With promises from Rick to Martha that he would call to give her more details about Kate's sudden departure from the restaurant and why he needed to follow her, he raced after his girlfriend who was walking in the direction of her father's apartment. When he caught up to her, Kate's face was in an unreadable daze and Rick didn't know whether to expect tears and if so if they were in sadness, shock or joy.

Rick pulled Kate toward the wall of a storefront and asked if she was okay. She looked up at him after a few moments and he saw tears lining her eyes and a soft and sad smile gracing her lips. He probably should have expected her reaction would be a mix of sadness, shock and joy and it amazed him that now that she was looking at him, he could see the perfect blend of these emotions in her gaze.

"Rick, I don't know what to do."

"I don't either," he admitted. "Did you want to go back to your dad's place?"

Kate nodded and said, "he probably doesn't know what's going on yet."

"Let's go then."

"What about your mom?"

"I'll call her when we get to your dad's place. I didn't get much time to explain."

* * *

Kate was quiet for most of the cab ride, so Rick put his arm around her and didn't press her to talk.

"I doubt there's a book on how to deal with this," Kate said. " _So, You Helped Catch Your Mother's Murderer, Now What?: the step-by-step guide to dealing with it_." She let a humorless laugh escape as she wiped away a few tears.

Rick grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. "You and me, we'll get through this together. I'll be with you every step of the way. You don't have to do this alone."

Kate gave him a soft smile and whispered, "thank you."

Jim Beckett was on the phone when Kate and Rick arrived. To Rick, it sounded like he was talking to a reporter or a very nosy telemarketer. After ending the call Jim confirmed that he'd been getting phone calls from the press since the news broke.

"The police called too. They wanted to know if I was interested in being at the press conference and if I wanted to make a statement. I told them I'd talk with you and get back to them."

"I'd like to say something. I think Mom deserves at least that."

Being the writer, Rick helped Kate draft up a statement that she could say at the press conference. He already agreed to stand near the podium with her dad while she spoke the words she had longed to say for over a decade.

* * *

The press conference was scheduled for nine the next morning, so after a few tweaks to the script, Kate and the two most important men in her life, ate a quick breakfast, got ready for the day, and left the apartment together.

Standing at the podium, Kate fought back tears by breathing deeper and focusing on the words she and Rick wrote together. The flashing lights from the cameras didn't deter her from speaking, nor did the slight waver in her voice and her jittery hands.

"My mother fought for justice for people who had been forgotten. After losing my mother over a decade ago, I started to believe it was a cruel sense of irony that my mother's murder was unsolved and filed away as a cold case. When new evidence was found, my dad and I finally started to believe we would have closure and a resolution like Johanna Beckett gave to countless people in New York. My dad and I would like to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who serve the city we love every day and were instrumental in getting justice for my mom. We are grateful for your hard work and dedication and my dad and I will be forever in your debt. We'd also like to personally thank Lieutenant Victoria Gates for believing that the evidence that was found was important enough to reopen the case. The last decade has been a struggle for my dad and me, but we held on and stuck together with the shared hope of finding my mother's killer. Now that we have the truth, we can hopefully start to heal from carrying the burden of the unknown for so long." Kate looked out into the sea of cameras having finished reading the entirety of the statement that was in front of her but continued after taking a shaky breath. "Lastly, I want to thank Rick for having my back during this difficult time and loving me despite all the drama." Kate turned to catch Rick's eye and smiled. "I love you. Always."

When Kate stepped away from the microphone, Rick enveloped her in a hug and whispered, "I love you, too" into her ear.

Following the press conference, Kate, Rick and Jim found a relatively secluded place just inside the precinct where they sat and attempted to process everything that had happened to them in only two days. Rick grabbed Kate's hand and gave it a squeeze to get her attention.

"How would you feel if we honored this important day by going to your mom's favorite restaurant in her memory?"

Kate smiled at Rick then looked to her dad, "What do you say, Dad?"

"I think that is a wonderful idea," Jim agreed with a smirk.

Rick was surprised when the two Becketts led him to a hot dog cart on Lexington Avenue and not the typical sit-down restaurant he was expecting.

"Mom loved these hot dogs. They were her biggest guilty pleasure."

"And they were her biggest craving while pregnant with Katie."

"I hope that doesn't pass down to her daughter if we're still living in Hawthorne in a few years."

Kate's horrified but surprised reaction had her father laughing. Fighting back the terrified but excited feeling in her gut, Kate retorted with, "if you're smart you'll hire a hot dog vendor for the library before it's necessary and avoid the countless trips to New York."

"Sounds like an investment opportunity to me," Rick joked taking a big bite of the hot dog in his hands.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: With Minneapolis in a blizzard today and me being stuck at home, I decided to finally finish this story. There will be an epilogue after this chapter and given that I'm snowed in, I may even have it done this weekend. It's been a fun journey with this story and I'm disappointed that it took so long for me to finish, but I did finish, so there is at least that.**

Rick and Kate stayed in New York one more day, opting to get their own hotel room for the night, before heading back to Hawthorne. They needed to leave since the contractors scheduled a tour of the nearly-completed library for them and the city council members later that afternoon.

"What are you most excited to see in the new library?" Rick asked while Kate drove them back to Hawthorne.

"I'm curious what our offices will look like, or well, I guess I'll be the only one with an office now. I hope they are soundproof." Kate threw him a wicked grin.

"My, my Miss Beckett, are you suggesting we engage in something tawdry in your new office?"

"That wasn't a suggestion, that was a plan. If they aren't soundproof though it would be interesting to see how quiet we can be without anyone knowing."

"Judging by last night, everyone would know within seconds," Rick said.

"Oh shush, you."

"As I recall, _I_ wasn't the one who needed shushing."

Kate glared at him but had a whisper of a smirk on her lips.

"What about the library are you excited for?"

"It's a surprise."

"Why is it a surprise? And for who?"

"For you of course, and it's a surprise because I love you."

"What did you do?"

"You'll see when we get there."

* * *

When they arrived within the city limits of Hawthorne, Kate took them to her house since they didn't need to be at the new library for another two hours. She figured she'd take the time to unpack the small bag she brought, but once she closed the front door behind her and Rick, her plans changed and within minutes the two were in her bed for rounds four and five.

* * *

Resting her head on Rick's shoulder as she laid half on top of him, she said, "I thought I loved you before, but with the last twenty-four hours it's like I can't get enough of you."

"No complaints here," Rick rumbled and peeked at the clock on Kate's night stand. "As much as I would love to stay here forever, we need to get going."  
Kate buried her face into Rick's neck. "Do we have to?"

"Normally I'd be all for skipping out, especially for sex, but I am dying for you to see the surprise."

Kate groaned and moved to look him in the eyes.

"Come on, Baby. In a couple of hours, we can come back and make love all night if you want, or we can scope out some places in the library for a quickie." Rick waggled his eye brows making Kate chuckle.

"Fine," Kate groaned. "This surprise better be worth getting out of bed for."

"Trust me, it is."

* * *

They threw on their rumpled clothes and made the short trek to the site of the new library. A few of the contractors and city council members were waiting near the front entrance showing off the newly installed arched window over the doors that read LIBRARY in a stained-glass design.

"We were just waiting for you two," one of the council members said when Rick and Kate approached the group. "Bob is inside with the foreman right now. Shall we head in?"

"Rick!" the mayor called out when he saw the rest of the group walk in. Holding out his hand for Rick and giving it a familiar shake and a quick hug, Bob continued, "I'm sad to hear that you are leaving us to be a famous author. I'm sure Miss Beckett here will be able to handle things just fine in your absence, but Hawthorne won't be the same without you."

Kate, who was standing beside Rick, felt her heart palpitate.

Rick saw her smile falter and said quickly, "Well Bob, I will still be living in Hawthorne, at least until Alexis graduates and afterward I'll see what happens, but I can't leave this place, especially now." He grabbed Kate's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Ah, I had a feeling there was something between you two. That explains the dedication." Bob saw Kate's brow furrow. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Rick, what's he talking about?"

"It'll be easier if I just show you." Rick led her toward the back of the library, passing up everything they were supposed to be looking at on the tour. They stopped beside a large room overlooking what was going to be the butterfly gardens when they were installed.

"Remember when I took a couple days off a few weeks ago? It was right after I got the news that my book was being published and that I was getting an advanced check for it. I decided to use the advanced check for this library and during those two days I was working with the construction team to create a reading room. This reading room," Rick gestured to the room they stood outside of, "in honor of your mother."

Kate's eyes widened, and her mouth moved as she tried to form some sort of response. All she could say was, "Rick."

Rick took her near-silence as an invitation to continue and with a hesitant excitement he laid out all the details, "It will be called the Johanna Beckett Memorial Reading Room. There will be a plaque that describes her and everything she believed in and I was hoping to get more input from you on what else to add to the space."

Kate's eyes started to tear up and she wiped away the ones that had fallen. She looked to Rick who had a timid and uncertain smile. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Please say that I didn't overstep the bounds…"

"Rick, you crazy, kind, wonderful man," Kate finally threw her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his, "I can't believe you did this. I love it. I love _you_. I…"

Kate was cut off when Rick kissed her.

"I'm glad," Rick whispered against her lips then continued with kissing her.

Kate pulled away and in a hushed and sly tone said, "do you think anyone would notice if we just left and went back to my place right now?"

Rick grinned, "Probably, but I'm very willing to be proven wrong."

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting  
** **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"It's wonderful to be back and to see so many of the people who impacted my life while I was here," Rick spoke to the crowd. "While my family and I may no longer live here full-time, the town of Hawthorne will always feel like home because my daughter and I were welcomed and treated like family the moment we moved here. Hawthorne is where I wrote most of my first novel. Hawthorne, specifically the old Hawthorne Library, is where I met and fell in love with my wife." Rick looked out toward the back of the room, where his wife stood. "This town has treated us well so it seemed most appropriate for the first pubic reading of my newest series, inspired by my wife, be held in the Johanna Beckett Memorial Reading Room, named in memory of my mother-in-law."

Rick wrapped up reading the first chapter of Heat Wave, fielded questions from the audience, and signed books when people asked. Kate mingled with the crowd, enjoying the time away from her hectic life in New York, and caught up with old friends, some she hadn't seen since she and Rick decided to move back to the city after Alexis's freshman year of college.

Rick and Kate got married six months after the new library opened and Alexis graduated from high school two months after that. A year later and after three more bestsellers, they settled into their new loft in New York and Kate started her new job as an archivist for the New York Public Libraries. It was hard for their family to say goodbye to Hawthorne, but with Rick's growing success it became more necessary that they live closer to the city, especially when it was discovered that Kate was expecting their first child. Since Hawthorne was so remote, the times when Rick was needed in person at Black Pawn turned into, essentially, a 2-day-long meeting that, if they were living in New York, would only have been a couple of hours. It was then decided that their growing family would move back to New York.

Their little girl, Lily Johanna Castle, was the light of her parents' eyes and at the age of three, kept them on their toes. Kate adored her life, her job, her daughter, but with Martha watching Lily back in New York, she embraced the slow-moving pace of Hawthorne and considered it a respite from her everyday chaos.

Watching her husband visit with their former neighbors, a soft smile graced her lips as she imagined how differently her life would have been if she hadn't decided to move to Hawthorne. Would she still have met Rick somehow? Were they as destined as Rick claims they were? Maybe it was chance, maybe it was fate, all Kate cared about was that it happened. Hawthorne happened. The library happened. Rick happened. They happened. Lily happened. Because of Hawthorne, Kate had a life she loved.

 **A/N: I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this the last year or however long I have been working on it. I hope to continue writing more Castle fics if there are ideas that spark my interest, but in the meantime, I'll just continue to read everyone else's awesome stuff.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


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